You're The One
by Ava Chanel
Summary: Thirty two ways in which Beast Boy learns to navigate his sometimes rocky, usually erratic, always passionate romance with Raven. Thirty two ways in which he will always, unexpectedly, manage to win her over. A series of disconnected, fluffy shorts chronicling different stages of their relationship, as told through Beast Boy's perspective. Expect cavities. 11/32 posted.
1. love me not

**A/N:** _Short and sweet, don't expect much substance to these, but do expect cavities and maybe diabetes due to the level of sugar content in them. I already have about 25/32 (planned) written down. Simply put, just the thirty two ways in which Beast Boy navigates his romance with Raven, in his own strange (and sometimes comical) methods. There is no timeline to these. They are all at different intervals of their relationship, which will hopefully become evident in the chapters themselves. Please, enjoy._

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 **You're the One**

 _"loving someone doesn't mean you have to love everything they do,  
but it does mean you forgive them a little more often,  
a little more easily..."_

\- Melanie Harlow

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 **1\. love me not**

He thought he'd done the right thing getting her flowers.

As he stared at the purple and white petals strewn about him in disarray, and the bundle of useless stems he held in his gloved hand, he now knew that he'd been entirely wrong.

He groaned aloud, figuring he'd never be able to clean it up before she would notice the mess he'd left outside of her bedroom door. The worst part of it all was that he'd have only one measly, purple Lisianthus flower to show for it, and it was utterly pathetic. As if to mock him, the aforementioned object of his bane stood out among the mass bouquet of what was now nothing but leaves and blue tinged stems, like a shining beacon of his failure.

As Beast Boy stood outside Raven's room, fists clutching maddeningly at his hair, and his heart going a mile a minute in his chest, he wondered how on Earth he could have been so stupid. How could anyone mess up this badly buying a girl a simple bouquet of purple and white flowers? He had even made sure that they were of the non fragrant variety, in the event that Raven was sensitive around pungent breeds. He thought he'd had it all worked out, that nothing was going to stop his plan from going smoothly this time around.

Until he'd gotten the silly notion in his head that a series of flower petals were going to predict a certain empath's feelings for him.

Why not, he'd thought.

What harm was there?

After all, it was only _one_ flower out of many, and even if he didn't get the answer he'd been looking for, it was just a childish game anyways.

"She loves me," he'd started.

"She loves me not." A second petal had floated to the floor.

"She loves me," A third petal drifted by.

"She loves me not..." The fourth one fell away.

Each and every single time he'd finish stripping a flower, it would have him end on the negative, until his anger got the better of him and he plucked, and plucked and plucked away, never realizing that he'd been shredding his gift to pieces in the mean time.

When at long last, the final petal he'd ripped off was a "she loves me", Beast Boy had shouted out with glee, nearly jumping in the air with his fist driving skyward at his long winded victory.

That was when he'd come to terms with the true nature of what he'd done. Almost as quickly as it had come, his excitement was gone, replaced with dreadful anxiety and great disappointment, as he stared at the crushed, delicate plant bits now littered beneath his shoes. His shoulders slumped forward, and his ears drooped while he looked on forlornly at the mess he'd made, wishing to the gods of time that he could take it all back.

Annoyed and frustrated with himself, he threw the prettily wrapped bouquet of worthless stems to the floor, and steadily began to bang his head on Raven's door in defeat. The impact wasn't hard enough to do any real damage, but he made sure it hurt just a bit in an effort to inflict a self imposed lesson.

And that was how _she_ had found him.

"Uh...Beast Boy?"Her gentle voice came from behind him, interjecting his somewhat crude and sudden punishment.

He took it as his cue to put a stop to the incessant banging, but didn't dare turn around because he was way too much of a coward to face her while being in such a desolate state.

The dark haired youth glanced about the entry to her bedroom with raised brows, taking in the unusual scenery in an apprehensive and skeptical manner.

"So, you want to tell me why there's a destroyed bouquet of flowers outside my room, and why you're currently trying to give yourself a concussion?" She inquired once she'd decided that she could not make any sense of the matter.

Sighing deeply, the green Titan mumbled a weak answer in a small and meager voice; "It was a stupid idea, never mind."

Keeping his chin to his neck, and his eyes downcast, he dragged his feet and made to brush past her, leaving the scene of the crime behind him without another word.

Raven, spotting the single, surviving flower dangling from the smashed bouquet like a beautiful contrast to the destruction around it, bent down to pick it up and examine it.

"Beast Boy," she called after him then, making him stop dead in his tracks, his muscles tensing.

As he slowly turned around to confront her, he tried to steel his nerves for whatever scathing mockery was to come his way.

However, there hadn't been any need for it, because the object of his affections appeared to be entirely humbled by his only remaining gift.

Raven was holding the last intact, purple, rose-like flower to her face, twirling it by the stem with her delicate fingers while the tips of the petals brushed against her lips. Wearing a genuine, glowing smile, and unable to mask the reddening flush creeping into her pale cheeks, she asked him; "How'd you know that I liked the Prairie Gentian better than a rose?"

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 **A/N:** _Short, as promised. I'll be trying my best to keep these to a low word count (roughly under 1500). If a reader has an idea for a prompt, feel free to PM me and I'll certainly consider it (I have about seven slots still open). If I like it enough to write it, you'll definitely be credited for the idea. Thanks for reading and, as per usual, constructive and/or positive feedback is welcomed and encouraged._


	2. milk & honey

**A/N:** _Chapter two heading your way._

* * *

 **You're the One**

* * *

 **2\. milk & honey**

Beast Boy was not a morning person.

He liked staying up late, playing videogames into the wee hours of the morning, and sleeping in. Typically in that order.

It was never unusual for him to stroll into the living room well into the afternoon, craving breakfast food even though it was way past lunch time.

Raven, on the other hand, was always an early riser. She was also more often than not, the first Titan to retire to her bedroom for the night. Eventually, it became like a game for him; the green changeling would challenge himself to try and get up earlier than the empath. However, each and every time that Beast Boy would try to beat her to the punch in the morning, he would always find her sitting on the couch, nose buried in one of her many books, mug of freshly made tea sitting on the coffee table before her.

"Good morning," she'd call out to him absent-mindedly, her eyes never leaving the page she would be reading.

Beast Boy would grumble back a greeting, but his heart wouldn't be in it. Just once, he wanted to wake up and not see the back of Raven's pretty head. Just once, he wanted to surprise her, maybe even impress her.

So, every day, Beast Boy had tried setting his alarm clock back by another half an hour until he would accomplish his goal. Every time, he'd wake up grumpy and groggy, tempted to smack the annoying piece of technology next to his bed into little, itty bitty pieces until it would shut off. Of course, just because he was trying to wake up early didn't mean that he would be any less of a night owl. Nonetheless, he was determined, and once he had his mind set on something, it would take more than a measly, annoying, loud beeping noise to dissuade him.

Beast Boy was going to wake up before Raven, and he was going to make her tea. He was going to set it on the table, hot and steaming, so that it awaited her arrival and provided a good start to her day. He wanted to be there to witness the look on her face, to know that he'd finally managed to astonish her in a way she would have never thought possible.

However, after many failed attempts, he'd hopelessly started half expecting to see that familiar purple head of hair, and was thus in temporary disbelief on the one morning that he was greeted with nothing instead. He'd rubbed the rest of the sleep from his eyes, and ogled the very much empty, silent lounge with an open mouth and a dazed expression.

He didn't know how much time he actually had, so he set to work immediately, pepping up the instant he'd recognized that he had the upper hand for once. He'd seen her in the process of making the hot beverage plenty of times before, how hard could it possibly be?

After rushing and slightly stumbling into the kitchen, he pulled out the little silver kettle, filled it with just enough tap water, set it on the stove and turned up the heat. Then, he opened the cupboard, found her shiny, onyx black mug and placed it on the counter. In the pantry, he found her herbal tea bags, took a sniff of the box, and gagged at the smell. He wondered how the heck she even drank the stuff; it reeked something awful. The tea reminded Beast Boy of medicine he hated taking as a kid, and the taste of grass. Everyone had tried eating grass at some point in their lives, right?

He hung the little tassel off the edge of the mug and left the single bag inside at the bottom of the cup. When the kettle whistled, the water finally coming to a boil, he made sure to be slow and steady as he poured it into the ceramic cup and over the teabag. He had to pinch his nose as the scent of the tea quickly grew more odorous, wafting up into his face in little, warm puffs of steam clouds.

That was when he came to a sudden halt, feeling like he had just hit an unforseen brick wall.

How did Raven take her tea?

Beast Boy paled as he realized he had no honest idea what the half demon liked to put in her favourite drink.

Panicking, he figured he would just have to improvise. After all, it was only a matter of time before she'd be joining him, and if she found him still struggling to make the beverage, he'd never leave the impression he'd wanted to. He needed the delivery to be just right, perfect even. She deserved that much.

Wanting to gauge the flavour of his creation first, Beast Boy took a small sip of the hot liquid and immediately detested what it did to his taste buds.

"Blech!" His face scrunched up in repulsion.

Sugar. It needed sugar, and lots of it.

He poured a good few teaspoons into the now earthy looking liquid, stirred, and tried another taste.

Beast Boy wanted to rub his tongue raw; somehow, the sweetness only seemed to make it worse. It was like licking off sugar from a weed.

What else did people put in tea? Cream? Milk? He didn't drink either and thus, didn't know how they would help with the default bitterness of the brew.

After much internal debate, he settled on the less rich of the two. He poured in the milk until the opaque hue changed to that of a lighter shade of brown, equivalent to the colour of desert sand. If he was going to be completely honest, he'd say the substance looked closer to liquid mud than anything actually edible.

Finally mostly satisfied, he picked up the drink by the handle, and carefully walked it to the spot Raven always sat in to read her book, being sure to watch his step. He only had enough time for one chance to get it right, after all, and he couldn't afford spilling it and starting all over again.

When he'd at long last settled it onto a coaster on the glass table, he placed his hands on his hips and grinned brightly.

"There!" He admired his handy work, his eagerness and anticipation growing more and more by the second.

As if on cue, he heard a door swish open in the distance of the hallway, and it was enough to set his heart into a furious gallop.

Throwing himself onto the couch in haste, he tried to appear casual and complacent, even though he was sure his heart was going to burst out of his chest at any given moment.

After what felt like forever, she floated into the room, her head buried in her book, as was customary for the half demon sorceress. He watched her all the while, wearing a toothy smirk and waiting for her to drop the novel to meet his gaze. Meaning to set her story down on the counter so that she would be able to go ahead with her morning ritual, Raven's eyes widened at the sight of Beast Boy's most unexpected presence.

"Morning, Rae," he greeted her in an eerily confident tune.

Her gaze then darted to the familiar mug sitting on the table, and then back again at Beast Boy. "Did you... make tea?"

He nodded briskly. "Sure did."

"But you don't even like herbal tea," she explained, confusion working its way into her delicate features.

Beast Boy snickered. "It's for you, duh."

Eyes like purple amethysts grew in surprise. "You...made _me_ tea?"

The green teenager gave her another curt, encouraging shake of his head.

"Beast Boy, I...why did you...but...," Raven seemed to struggle with the words, her tongue tripping over her own thoughts and feelings on the matter.

Then, hugging her book to her chest, she brushed a stray lock of plum coloured hair behind her ear nervously, and stared at the floor with a reddening complexion. "Thank you," she told him quite simply, her voice barely an octave higher than a murmur.

He sat up abruptly and grinned smugly at her, making room for her next to him on the couch now that his lanky figure wasn't taking up all the space. Raven took her seat beside him in a demure fashion before lifting her favourite ceramic mug off of the coffee table, and bringing it up to her mouth.

Before she took a drink, she gave the contents a look of bemusement. "Did you...did you put _milk_ in herbal tea?"

Beast Boy waved his arms frantically about. "I swear it's not soy!" He promised her, appearing suddenly alarmed while completely missing the point of her observation.

Raven opened her mouth as if to speak to his oblivious nature, but seemed to decide against it after meeting his bright eyes and giving it some more thought. Instead, the empath then focused her attention back to her drink and hesitantly brought the mug to her lips. She then blew gently enough at it to create ripples on the liquid's surface and took a tentative sip.

She tensed immediately, the sugar hitting her taste buds like a bus. Raven didn't want to blanch in front of him, but the taste was something she was so unaccustomed to, that she couldn't help but let the awful surprise of it show in her body language.

His face fell as he watched her reaction. "You don't like it. It's the sugar isn't it? I knew I put too much. It's just, that stuff tastes super gross on its own, and what doesn't taste better when it's sweeter, right?" Beast Boy was babbling on, slowly becoming frazzled once he'd registered his screw up.

Raven, mentally and physically bracing herself for what she was going to do next, took another small sample of the concoction her green teammate had made especially for her, effectively shutting him up. Gulping it down quick enough to avoid the atrocious flavouring, she then said, "For future reference, I prefer honey to sugar."

She smiled genuinely at him afterwards, successfully masking the grimace she would have broken into when her tongue relearned the unique aftertaste of the horrible mixture. Her forced, positive outlook was enough to keep him sated for the time being, and he perked up almost instantly, beaming at her with a bashful grin.

However, even with her helpful tips and advice, Beast Boy would at no time manage to ever get her tea right. Even so, almost every morning, she'd wake up to find a warm cup sitting on the table, with the changeling sometimes snoozing on the couch next to it, still in his animal printed pajamas. Every morning, she begrudgingly drank it and, when her teammates asked her why she didn't bother to correct him, she never really did know how to answer them...

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 **A/N:** _This went a smidge over my self imposed limit of 1500 words, but not by enough to bother me. Constructive and positive feedback is welcomed and encouraged. Thanks for reading._


	3. bird of prey

**A/N:** _Thanks, everyone who has followed, favourite and/or reviewed this story. It is all very much appreciated, and never goes unnoticed. Chapter three for you folks._

* * *

 **You're the One**

* * *

 **3\. birds of prey**

The evening had started off normal enough. Titan downtime usually meant a night of fun and games, and each respective team member had their special, assigned tasks.

Cyborg was bustling about in the kitchen, busy preparing the junk food, fizzy beverages, and snacks, all the while humming along to the playlist Beast Boy had created specifically for the activities. Starfire was mulling over the many board games and cards littered around her on the floor, examining each one with a scrutinizing intensity. Robin sat next to her, arms folded over his chest and ready to help explain any slang or terminology the alien princess couldn't quite comprehend. Although he'd never admit it, everyone but Starfire knew that their fearless leader enjoyed seeing the way her features would light up upon learning the rules of a brand new game.

Then there was Raven.

She was an unspoken task, assigned to only one certain, green changeling; the single Titan who could, upon pure persistence, manage to get her out of her room and take part in the festivities.

"Beast Boy, you know I _don't like_ charades." The empath stood in her room, wearing an expression of uneasiness while her closed off body language told him how uninterested she was in any such game.

The younger Titan groaned dramatically. "You say that about _every_ game we decide to play, Rae," he informed her exasperatedly.

"That's because I _don't like_ game night," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Cyborg and Robin are too competitive, Starfire makes up her own rules, you tend to cheat whenever you can, and I'm left to clean up after the mess everyone leaves behind," she elaborated, listing off her reasons one by one on her index fingers.

"Hey!" Beast Boy protested, "I do _not_ cheat!"

A single, dark brow raised in accusation. "Oh? Last time, when we played Pictionary, you got frustrated because no one could tell what you were drawing, so you just started shifting into dinosaurs until Cyborg yelled out Jurassic Park."

"That's not cheating!" Beast Boy retaliated, fumbling for a good comeback.

In a calm voice, Raven reminded him, "Pictionary is a game where you have to _draw_ the categories. Not become them."

"Well," he huffed, irritated that she'd bested him on the matter, "Charades _is_ a game where I'm allowed to change, whenever I can. Cy even said so."

Raven rubbed at her temples with thumb and forefinger, losing interest in the conversation. "I'm still not playing."

Realizing that he was quickly losing her, Beast Boy resorted to his one and only trump card; "So, what you're saying is that you're gonna stay locked up in your room with a book when you could be spending time with _me_?"

Almost immediately, her expression softened, and guilt swept in among her delicate features. It was low of him, even he knew that, but he _needed_ her there. It was hard enough to come by any sort of alone time with the reserved female Titan, what with all the meditating and book reading she had to do. When she wasn't preoccupied with that, they were off fighting crime or stopping diabolical, evil plans to rule the world. Then, on the nights none of _that_ was going on, their other, pesky teammates were always somehow _around_ , either asking to play videogames or watch a scary movie or have a girls only slumber party.

They both knew how fleeting these opportunities were, and thus, had to take advantage of whatever they could get.

Beast Boy mustered up his best 'hurt' face, drooping ears and all, before turning around and expecting to leave her in the impregnable silence of her bedroom, his question lingering unanswered.

It worked like a charm.

Before he'd reached the hallway, he felt her come up behind him, her cold, small fingers brushing against his gloved right hand. When he turned to appraise her, Raven was looking away in an attempt to mask the reddening of her otherwise pallid complexion with her curtain of cropped, plum-coloured hair. Even though he'd given her reason to appear humbled, she was still wearing a look of annoyance.

Beast Boy couldn't help but beam victoriously at her, clutching her hand in his own before dragging her down the hallway in a hurry. She stumbled after him in surprise before her feet then hovered an inch off of the ground in order to keep up with him.

"Friend Raven and friend Beast Boy! You have finally joined us!" Once they appeared in the common room, Starfire greeted them with a leap into the air, clasping her hands together in merriment.

"I have decided to make the game more interesting by adding in all of our names into the category of 'people'!" She explained to them, grinning from ear to ear.

"So it begins," Raven sighed, being sure to let go of Beast Boy's hand before anyone took notice.

"Sweet! This'll be a piece of cake!" Declared Beast Boy. "Can I go first?" He dashed towards the centre of the living room, not waiting for an answer to his request.

He'd been so elated in the moment that, when he'd pulled up the first card from the table, he couldn't process why his mind had drawn a blank when he'd read the name written in Starfire's neat, pretty cursive.

 _Raven._

Of course. It was all too ironic that _she_ would be the card he would pick up. Truth be told, he had been hoping for Cyborg or Robin, because they would have been an easy and entertaining mark. But Raven? He was already walking on eggshells with his powerful, half demon teammate. How could he replicate her in action alone without coming off as a total jerk or upsetting her?

"Uh, you good there, Beastie?" It was Cyborg's voice that brought him out of his inner turmoil.

The green teenager glanced nervously about the room at all the curious and concerned faces of his friends. He gulped when he met Raven's dark purple gaze.

Scratching the back of his head, he thought long and hard.

Then it hit him, and that was when the night had decided to take a very strange turn.

His teammates stood gawking at the shape the changeling had suddenly morphed into, startled and unsure of what their friend was trying to hint at.

Beast Boy grunted, cocking his funny looking head to the side. He hopped along on his two feet, allowing them to have a good, long gander at him in his new shape.

"Uh...what kind of... _bird_ is that?" Robin asked, staring at Beast Boy's latest form.

Because it was a bird. A funny looking one, but a bird nonetheless. His green head and neck were featherless and heavily wrinkled, while his plumage was a glossy green so dark, it seemed black. He was roughly about two feet tall, and his beak was short and hooked. His feet, in contrast to his other colouring, were white with the two front toes longer than the others. His eyes were still very much akin to Beast Boy's; black pupils paired with a deep green iris. When he opened his wings, which were as wide as an average sized toddler, and flapped them about, the underside of the tips were noticeably white.

"Looks like some kind of...vulture?" Cyborg guessed, stepping closer to examine Beast Boy's new head.

In response, he pecked at the ground by his friend's robotic foot.

The timer that Starfire had set, ticked on in the background, reminding them that they only had so many seconds to guess correctly.

Beast Boy, currently in the guise of the ravenous bird, strutted about before them, and then made a beeline towards Raven. Using his massive wings as an intimidation factor, he then hissed at the others around her.

"Oh! Perhaps it is a bird relative of a raven?" Starfire exclaimed.

Beast Boy grunted, craning his neck. He then scuttled closer to Raven, easily unnerving his female comrade. "I don't get it, Beast Boy," she confessed with a slow shake of her head.

"How is that a person?" Robin questioned Starfire's guess. The red haired alien girl seemed as lost as everyone else in the room.

Beast Boy stared at the empath with unearthly eyes before choosing to roost beside her, pruning his feathers as he waited.

"Man, this doesn't make any sense, B," Cyborg commented while scratching his forehead, confounded.

"I, too, cannot think of the name of such a person that resembles a vulture," Starfire agreed in defeat.

Robin had his fingers on his chin then, lost deep in thought. The timer ticked down its final moments, seemingly as loud as a firecracker in an isolated room.

"A bird of prey...that seems to like Raven?" the boy wonder thought aloud.

Beast Boy let out another strange noise from his throat, and opened his wings slowly.

The alarm went off suddenly, signaling the end of the round, and Beast Boy once again resumed his green human form.

"Come on, guys! It was obviously _Raven_!" He yelled at them, frustratingly pointing at the girl in the blue cloak.

The aforementioned sorceress gave him a quizzical look. "I'm a...vulture?"

Beast Boy shook his head vigorously. "No, clearly not! I was a _black_ vulture, which obviously means-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Robin interjected with his own observation; "If you had gotten Raven, why didn't you just turn into...a raven?"

A lull fell over the room then, and every Titan was watching their changeling teammate while muttering under their breath a small form of concession.

Finally, he sighed and slapped his hand over his forehead in annoyance. "A raven was too easy, duh. I was trying to be creative...never mind, just forget it," he told them, fuming at his failure.

The other Titans, shrugging off Beast Boy's peculiar temperament, seemed to have accepted his explanation and were eager to move on with the next round. The green changeling sat on the couch with arms folded over his chest, glaring at nothing in particular. Starfire, in the mean time, picked up a card from one of the four piles, and started brainstorming how she would be acting out the words she'd read. The rest of the team went about as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Everyone, that was, but Raven.

She sat next to her green teammate, examining him carefully from beneath the safety of her hood. "So...," she drawled, breaking the silence between them, "mind telling me where exactly you were going with that whole vulture thing?"

Without removing his gaze from the center of the room, he sighed before correcting her. "Black vultures," a less than enthused Beast Boy started explaining, "they mate for life you know? They're super protective of their loved ones and are actually one of the very rare birds in the animal kingdom that are monogamous...I thought that...I thought that maybe, if nothing else, _you'd_ get it. Because, after all, there's really only one person in this room that any of that could ever apply to...," he drifted off, feeling as if the magic in the gesture would now be forever lost.

Raven stilled beside him, as silent as she always was in these sorts of situations. Then, when no one was looking, her fingers shyly danced along the space between them, and found his. When he worked up the courage to finally look at her, she wore a modest smile and said, "You do know that black vultures also intentionally defecate and urinate on their own legs, right?"

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 **A/N:** _I never did find that Beast Boy took the easy way out of anything. In his own subtle ways, I think he'd romance Raven, right under his teammates' noses because at this point, their relationship is still new and somewhat of a secret. Thanks for reading. :)_


	4. kiss the frog

**A/N:** _Welcome to the new followers and readers, and a kind thank you to those who left words of encouragement. Chapter four, perhaps one of my more favourite ones, is here for your reading pleasure._

* * *

 **You're the One**

* * *

 **4\. kiss the frog**

"You're _lying_..."

The reality was that he was seething. Of all the cruel practical jokes to play, this one came as a low blow, even for him; master of pranks.

She stood there all the while, looking as hurt and betrayed as she would have been if she'd been telling the truth. But she wasn't, and all it made her was a really good actress. He had to keep reminding himself of that. If he slipped, even for a moment, she would convince him and he would be the butt of a very nasty joke.

She took in an audibly shaky breath and asked him; "What's it going to take to make you believe me?"

He'd never seen her like this before; nervous, embarrassed, fingers fidgeting with each other in apprehension. Even her usually monotonous, gravelly voice seemed to be laced with held back emotions this time around.

No.

 _No_.

It was all a lie, a really mean prank, and it all depended on him falling for her. It didn't matter how sincere she seemed, or how pained she looked upon his insinuations of her cunning facade.

He shook his head, like he was trying to physically remove her from his mind. He could almost hear Cyborg's mocking laughter as Raven would also join with him once they'd both made a proper fool of him. They'd laugh and laugh, and be sure to recount the silly tale to both Robin and Starfire, who would then also partake in the joke.

Poor, gullible, stupid Beast Boy.

He'd be the laughing stock of Titan Tower, and on top of all that, it would really, really hurt his feelings. He was nowhere near emotionally ready for that again.

" _Kiss me_."

The words came out from his mouth like they were second nature. He was a bit startled by his own bold request, but betrayed nothing in his steely eyed expression. Instead, he mustered up his best serious, game-on face and met her timid gaze head on.

He grew more confident in his suspicions when he witnessed the cold fear build up in her now expressive features. Folding his arms over his puffed up chest, he smirked cockily when he added, "If you really mean it, then you'll _want_ to kiss me."

A small voice in his head told him there was no way in any dimension of hell that Raven would willingly kiss him. Not a one.

Looking completely aghast by his accusations, her jaw dropped, and she appeared paler than usual as she processed his ridiculous demand. Only when he'd witnessed a slight reddening to her cheeks did he know for certain that he'd hit his mark. Emboldened by this, he leaned forward, now close enough to make her uneasy, and pursed his lips tauntingly. "Pucker up, princess," he instructed in a mocking tone of voice.

This would teach them to try and make a moron out of him ever again.

He closed his eyes and mimicked wet, loud smooching noises, happily awaiting the sweet nothing that he anticipated happening.

Except, a moment later, her hot lips were on his, and that was certainly not just _nothing_.

Her mouth pressed against his in a warm, electrifying embrace and all he knew then was that he'd never have guessed it to feel so... _innate_.

Something dormant deep within him seemed to have awakened, but by the time he'd noticed it, it merely slipped past him and was gone. He opened his eyes wide, still disbelieving that it was actually _Raven_ kissing him, and half expected to see Silkie instead. Except, Starfire's strange pet didn't taste like herbal tea and cherries.

Almost like being in a trance, the moment in which they stayed that way felt like forever.

He finally had to admit to it; no one, not especially the introverted, reserved Titan girl, went _this_ far for a really good practical joke.

The more he chose to feel her there, the more aware he was of her raw, candid confession.

He could feel her physically shaking with it beneath him.

Her eyes were shut tight because she couldn't dare open them. Her soft lips quivered against his, and her hands, somehow feeling unusually small, were clutching at the material of his shirt by his chest with a claw like grip. She kissed him with an unbent fervor, impassioned and aflame in the desperate physical contact she made with him. Unsure but still unrelenting, she gave her emotions free reign; she _wanted_ him, even at the cost of humiliation.

It was like he was seeing her truly for the first time.

This Raven was fragile, laying bare her very soul to him in complete, blind trust. She was so close, he could smell the faint traces of lavender shampoo in her hair, could feel the cool tip of her nose rub against his own. He could even see the various shades of violet that shone in her dark tresses from underneath his bedroom light.

In that moment, he was privy to a secret part of her that no one else ever was, making him the singular most important person there. In that moment, she was willingly giving a naked piece of herself over to him, and she did so wholeheartedly.

The magic she unknowingly weaved was working; she held him in her orbit, spellbound, captivated, _enraptured_ by her.

They were connecting, and he sadly came to realize that it was going to break his heart either way.

Like a chilling mental wave putting out a fire, he recalled that he'd been ruthless in his disbelief of her.

The guilt swept in along with the honeyed taste of her on his lips, and then the moment ended. He finally pulled apart from her, effectively ending the lapse in time and cooling his blood. The clock seemed to continue ticking forward again, and he'd be a liar if he denied the helpless ache he felt at the lack of her touch. Instinctively, he licked his lips, craving one last dizzying reminder of her unique flavour.

Then came the embarrassment.

He could feel the nauseating heat in his face and ears like an erupted volcano. His hands were shaking at his sides because he didn't trust them not to grab her and let him kiss her until his lips were sore and his tongue grew tired of warring with hers. There was a ringing in his ears as the silence buzzed about them in accusation. Their eyes locked but the chasm between them only seemed to grow.

Beast Boy felt small. He was shrinking down to the ground in what felt like slow motion. He saw her react, alluring amaranthine orbs swirling with unabashed concern. He wondered if they'd always been soul capturing, and if maybe she'd stolen his long ago.

It didn't matter; in this form, he was currently safe. He didn't have to face her, or any of the consequences that awaited him. Not to mention his own conflicted feelings.

After all, wart covered frogs didn't convey crippling guilt as good as people did.

They also had the wonderful advantage of being slippery little guys that could easily make quick getaways when necessary.

So, he hopped along with a croak, out of his room and out of range of her and all her curses and spells. He hopped and hopped until the memory became a daydream and he couldn't hear her voice calling his name anymore...

* * *

 **A/N:** _I wrote a first kiss sequence for them. It's a head canon that Raven would make the first move, if only because Beast Boy would be oblivious to her feelings, since he has such a hard time reading her. I wanted to convey that feeling of confusion and want in him, and so this happened. Thanks for reading._


	5. flock together

**A/N:** _A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to leave kind words. You guys are the best and I promise to reply to you all soon. A warm welcome to new readers and followers. To help clarify (in the event there is confusion), Beast Boy and Raven are in an established relationship at this point, and the team is aware of it. Enjoy. :)_

* * *

 **You're the One**

* * *

 **5\. flock together**

It had started with a magic trick.

"Raven and Robin," Mumbo began, pinpointing the two Titans closest to him, "you know what they say about such creatures; birds of a feather, flock together!"

Colourful scarves escaped his black suit's sleeve and attacked both the empath and boy wonder, effectively tying them up together in an uncomfortable binding grip. Mumbo cackled aloud, continuing to make a quick getaway from the remaining members of the team. Starfire was still trapped in the Aztec Lady cabinet and Cyborg was busy trying to burst free from the Chinese linking rings that restrained him.

Angry and alone, Beast Boy shifted into an ostrich and ran Mumbo down at an incredible speed. The cunning old man then threw small explosives behind him and at the flightless green bird in an effort to thwart his chase, but Beast Boy shifted into an eagle and flew away right in the nick of time. He then loomed overhead, like a giant green shadow, before diving downward at the escaping crook. Once he'd knocked Mumbo over, he changed shape again, this time into a king vulture, and started pecking at him with his powerful, sharp beak. The false magician used his arms to protect himself from the onslaught of Beast Boy's attacks. That was when one of Mumbo's toy flowers went off and shot a jet stream of water into the changeling's eyes, causing the large bird to stumble away with a loud croak.

"Hey, B!" Cyborg shouted in the distance, finally having broken free of the rings and running to confront Mumbo with his canon at the ready. "Star could really use a hand!" Cyborg took aim at Mumbo right away, the blue energy charging up within his weapon. Even as he spoke, he never took his eyes off of his target for so much as a second.

Raven and Robin had both also broken free, with the former Titan using her dark energy to manipulate the scarves off of their bodies. The green shapeshifter however, had morphed into yet another massive bird; the extinct argentavis magnificens, and was then seen flying towards Starfire's still trapped and struggling form. He swooped down with a single beat of his gigantic wings and, with his massive talons, crushed the cabinet into many splintered, wooden pieces.

The Tamaranean didn't waste any time recovering; once freed, she zoomed ahead, starbolts at the ready and her eyes glowing a bright, unnatural green to match. Once Beast Boy rejoined them, this time as a wandering albatross, the Titans team were yet again on the offensive, chasing Mumbo Jumbo down the bustling streets of Jump City.

"We could really use something big like a T-Rex right about now, Beast Boy!" Robin called out behind him as he dodged more bombs that the magician flung in their direction.

But the large green sea bird didn't shift as instructed by his leader, and as Mumbo threw out his infamous stack of cards at the pursuing Titans, it was becoming clear that he was going to get away.

"Ta-ta, Titans! Better luck at the next show!" Mumbo mocked, disappearing behind a corner in a puff of smoke while his card deck effectively left them all staggered.

Gritting his teeth, Robin stood up and dusted off the cards and dirt that had settled on him. He then turned on Beast Boy, leering angrily at the green skinned Titan; "Why didn't you change?!" He barked, the vein at his temple pulsing to life.

The youngest teen spared his leader a heavy set glare while both Raven and Starfire floated along nearby. The alien princess appeared to be concerned for her friend, while Raven remained impassive to the situation. Despite being asked a question, Beast Boy remained silent except for a low growl emanating from deep in his throat.

"We coulda used a gorilla, or a lion, or somethin' big and nasty. Heck, I'd take a chimpanzee, but Beastie, what's with the _birds_?" Cyborg echoed Robin's sentiments, looking just as frustrated by his teammate's actions.

Beast Boy suddenly stood up to his full height, dark brows furrowed, teeth grinding, and his hands turning into fists at his sides. With a snarl and not another glance at the friends that surrounded him, he jumped into the air, shifted into a hawk and took off into the skies.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire desperately cried out after him.

However, the changeling was out of earshot, becoming nothing more than a dark, winged dot in the sky as he glided above the city and into the pink, evening clouds.

As Starfire made to chase after him, Robin stopped her with a gentle, gloved hand on her shoulder. "Leave him. He probably just needs some time to cool off," he informed her in a softer tone of voice.

"But Robin," Starfire argued, "What transpired to make Beast Boy need the cooling off?"

"He's not cooling off. He's going after Mumbo," Raven corrected her comrades, removing her hood and staring off into the horizon where the green bird had last been spotted. Her voice was laced with worry and her friends did not fail to pick up on it.

"Alone?" Cyborg asked, mirroring everyone's concerns.

"He's most likely upset that he let Mumbo Jumbo get away...," Robin replied, wearing a deep set scowl as he recalled the team's collective failure.

Starfire shook her head slowly in disagreement. "I have not seen friend Beast Boy become this angry unless...it has gotten 'personal'."

"You sayin' Mumbo's got somethin' to do with B's transformations?" Cyborg inquired uncertainly, his single brow raised in question.

That was when Starfire's eerie, luminescent, green stare landed in accusation on the other female of the group. "I am saying that perhaps it has something to do with friend Raven?"

The empath's eyes widened as she suddenly became the centre of attention.

"M-me? What do I have to do with this?" Raven stuttered, taken aback by her friend's unforeseen speculation.

With a nod, Starfire explained in a quieter, sincere voice; " _Birds of a feather flock together_. That is what Mumbo Jumbo had said to you and Robin, correct? Perhaps this is what has made Beast Boy...upset?"

It took a moment for it to settle in, but once it did, Raven filled the silence with an inward groan. "You've got to be kidding me," she mumbled with a grimace, her hand resting on her forehead while she closed her eyes in annoyance.

Before anyone could say anything else on the matter, there was a sharp, bird like cry heard from up above them, and then an enormous, green, winged beast landed before the team. As it opened its colossal beak, it spat out a certain familiar blue skinned magician, now covered in a thick coat of slime and saliva. Mumbo Jumbo rolled onto the cement with a weak groan, clearly unconscious. Beast Boy, having finally expelled his catch of the day, finally resumed his human form once again.

His jump suit was ripped and torn up along his arms, torso and back, and his green hair was matted with blood by the right side of his forehead. His nose was bleeding from a single nostril, and there was a still drying cut on his lip. A faint purpling bruise was forming around the injury on his head, and Beast Boy swayed side to side as he took an agonizing step forward.

"Got him," he heaved, trying to smirk in his trademark fashion.

Before he could gloat in his victory, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he swung forward, suddenly unconscious and exhausted. Just as he was about to hit the ground, a surge of black magic kept him afloat and cradled him, lowering him down with slow, meticulous care...

* * *

"You're an idiot, you know that? What the hell were you thinkin', if you were even thinkin' at all?! First, you transform into birds and refuse to change into anything else, then you go off chasin' a dangerous criminal all alone because he just happened to have said somethin' you didn't like. Were you dropped as a child or what?!" Cyborg was just about done running his tests on the now conscious changeling, but he wasn't anywhere near done scolding him for his reckless behaviour.

With shoulders slumped forward, Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "And here I thought Robin was gonna be the one to tear me a new one," he confessed under his breath.

"Don't you dare sass me!" Cyborg bellowed back, plunging a needle roughly into his unsuspecting teammate's green arm.

"Ow!" Beast Boy jolted at the sudden pain shortly before antagonizing his robotic friend with a nasty snarl.

The two friends then proceeded to growl at one another, locked in what looked to be a heated glaring competition.

"I think maybe you need a break, Cyborg." Raven's monotonous voice interrupted the two other Titans as she levitated into the med room. The blue hood of her cloak cast most of her features in shadows beneath the glow of the synthetic light.

Her calming demeanor was enough to negate the tension in the room, and both Beast Boy and Cyborg appeared unusually chastised by her interference.

"I'll take it from here," she told Cyborg, her hands finding and lingering above Beast Boy's superficial wounds on his naked torso. An unearthly warm glow began to emanate from her palms and fingers.

The injured flesh lost its discolouration as ruptured blood vessels repaired themselves, and the skin knitted itself back together slowly.

"He's all yours, Rae," Cyborg conceded easily, too frustrated with his best friend to fight her on it.

When he was nearly out the door, Beast Boy had tried to have the last word. "Like it or not, I'm still going with _Bird Man_ for my specialization, tin can!" he shouted after him, spitting out the insult like a poison in his system.

Cyborg paused, turned, and gave him a hard, serious stare. "You don't think Jealous Man might be more fitting?"

Before the changeling could even digest the jibe, Cyborg was gone, closing the door behind him. The room then fell silent with tension anew. Outside the sound of the beeping and whirring of medical machines in the background, there was no other noise. Raven put a pause on her healing powers then and floated away towards the door, leaving Beast Boy to stare at the ground submissively. He concluded that she must have known he was way too embarrassed to look at her after what everyone had managed to puzzle out about his atypical, disobedient behaviour. Considering he was supposed to be the hero for the day, he sure as heck wasn't feeling anything like one.

He heard the click of the lock on the door and tried to think of things that didn't involve self pity and loathing. It wasn't working.

"I owe you an apology...," he admitted, swallowing the dry lump in his throat as he spoke. "I was out of line, and I know it was an overreaction. I can't help it; it's in my nature to get reckless, and when Mumbo said that stupid line...I guess it just triggered something in me. I had to get him, I had to _prove_ myself. Even though I knew I didn't _need_ to and that you probably wouldn't care, I couldn't stop myself. It just really _pissed_ me off, and I wasn't going to stop until he was mine. Looking back at it all now, I guess it does sound pretty immature-"

He'd been rambling nonsensically when she'd managed to walk back to him, and was thus taken off guard by the sudden, cool touch of her fingertips on his chin. She tilted his head so that he had to look at her, and met his gaze head on. He hadn't even noticed when she'd taken off her hood.

She searched his face with deep purple orbs, seeing through to the bottom of his soul like she always did. Her expression seemed to soften when they landed on the dried brown flakes of blood still marring his skin.

"The great thing about all this between us," she spoke in a husky whisper as she leaned up towards him, "is that you don't get to decide how _I_ feel about _you_..."

And then her fingers cupped his face and she brought her lips up to his in a tender, chaste kiss. Her lashes tickled his cheeks, while his right hand found its way to her small waist. When he parted her lips with his slick tongue, a fierce hunger awakening within him, his left hand tangled in her soft, dark purple hair, and his fingers clutched at the strands until his knuckles paled.

She mewled helplessly against him, her body craning into his, and allowed him to lead the dizzying dance with their tongues.

When they at long last separated for air, their noses brushed against one another, their foreheads touched, and they relished in the small, hazy amount of space between them, breathing each other in. With a winded, trembling voice, she added, "And also, changing your name to Bird Man is literally the worst idea you've ever had, so please don't do it..."

They both laughed at the absurdity of it then; she, with a small giggle and he, with a cheeky snicker, all the while his fingers drawing slow, lazy circles along her hip bone.

* * *

 **A/N:** _A short action sequence, some mild jealousy, and Raven reaffirming that Beast Boy really has nothing to worry about. Also, if anyone is curious about the bird that was big enough to fit Mumbo in its beak, it's a thing that did exist and it was known to eat its prey whole. As usual, your feedback is appreciated._


	6. in silence

**A/N:** _My audience is small, but I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you._

* * *

 **You're the One**

* * *

 **6\. in silence**

It had been business as usual until she'd started taking off her clothes.

Beast Boy had already been feeling sort of remorseful about being a fly on the wall, but he was never a peeping tom. It just wasn't his style. He'd only been selfish in wanting to be near her. He pined for her when she wasn't around, much like a puppy whined after its master. He just had to be near her, even if she'd explicitly told him that she had to be alone during her meditations.

The changeling didn't need to be told that he was hopeless whenever it concerned Raven. He'd been like that when they had just started getting to know one another, and then he'd stumbled his way through their rocky friendship, occasionally taking two steps back for every step forward. It had been like navigating a jagged, unexplored map, but this new territory he now found himself in left him completely blind and in the dark.

Thus, the idea of seeing Raven naked made his head spin and his blood run hot.

Beast Boy was perfectly content to being in the nude, and never truly cared one way or the other if anyone happened to see all of his naughty bits. However, Raven was always reserved and was very clear about her privacy. On the lonely nights she'd wander into his bedroom, he'd often find himself watching and waiting with heart in his throat, forgetting that he needed to keep breathing to stay alive. Sometimes, she just craved his company and wanted to listen to him talk. Other times, they found a new way to use their lips that didn't require words.

She was pretty shy and obviously self conscious, so, out of respect, he'd keep his hands to himself more often than not. As usual, he'd be going in blind, so he'd settle for letting her lead the way.

That was why he had reacted so poorly once he'd realized that she was actually getting _naked_. This was not part of the routine, but then again, after unexpectedly having to battle it out with Plasmus late into the day, she'd pushed back her meditation time into the evening. She was most likely just changing into a set of comfortable pajamas, and he'd just been too preoccupied to have noticed sooner. Truth be told, he was too busy admiring her. He had been itching to touch all that soft hair and had wondered how the heck he'd gotten so incredibly lucky that she'd picked him.

Then, suddenly, she'd started undoing her bodysuit zipper and had managed to free both arms by the time he'd registered what was going on. Beast Boy, feeling his heart going a mile a minute, then morphed unexpectedly back into his human form. He hadn't meant to, but he'd panicked and couldn't maintain his tiny, insect exterior anymore. He went crashing down from the wall to the ground head first with an embarrassed yelp, having lost his ability to fly. He heard Raven let out a startled gasp and he watched as she lashed out at him with a wave of black energy. It hit him hard enough to send him flying into her door.

"Ow!" He whined, rubbing at his sore behind as he tried to stand up again.

"Beast Boy!" She shouted in surprise, eyes wide in horror.

Something like guilt, shame and humiliation worked their way into her features when she'd realized what she'd accidentally done. Then, remembering that her pale shoulders and chest were still completely bare, she struggled to hastily put her clothes back on before all her dignity was lost. Although her cheeks were flushed, it wasn't long before anger would root itself in the place of embarrassment.

Realizing this, the green teen was quick to go on the defensive. "I wasn't spying on you, I promise!"

He had to get a word in before she could jump to the most obvious of conclusions. Beast Boy wasn't a total git; he knew exactly what it must have looked like to her, but he was hoping that since he'd earned her trust and respect, she would opt to believe in his character and honesty instead.

He put his hands up defensively and kept his eyes shut because he was afraid that she'd catch him staring. He didn't know if she was still...exposed, and he wasn't ready to face her wrath on the matter.

" _What are you doing in my room_?" Raven hissed through gritted teeth.

"A-are you decent?" Beast Boy asked nervously from behind closed eyes.

He heard her groan at him. "...Yes." Her answer was curt.

Beast Boy opened one eye at a time, his vision focusing in on the familiar, feminine silhouette standing before him, clothed arms crossed over an equally clothed chest. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and felt his heart slow down its erratic tempo.

Then, he began to work on his defense.

"I'm not a pervert, I was just, uh...I was just wondering what you were up to." He added in a nervous chuckle at the end in hopes of seeming sincere. Even he knew his answer was vague, and he mentally slapped himself for sounding so transparent.

"I told you earlier; I needed to meditate before bed," Raven reminded him.

The empath was the embodiment of unimpressed.

Beast Boy sighed deeply before he stammered on; "Okay, so maybe I knew what you were doing. But I didn't know that you were gonna get...I didn't know you were...I mean, it's not like I wanted to see... _ugh_!" He grabbed at his head in frustration. Nothing he could think of saying in that moment was going to sound right and clear his name at the same time.

When Raven said nothing, and he could feel her heated, purple stare boring into him, Beast Boy twiddled his fingers and spoke in a whisper of a voice; "Sometimes, I get lonely..."

He was embarrassed to admit it, but it was the simplest, and the easiest, truth. "I miss you and I get lonely..."

For a while, there was silence as the words settled between them like dust.

Raven then asked to clarify what she'd caught the other Titan doing; "So, you come in here as a fly and watch me meditate for hours on end?" The edge in her voice was gone now, replaced with a newfound empathy.

The changeling replied by nodding meekly, still too ashamed to meet her eyes. It somehow had sounded so much worse when she put it that way.

"Beast Boy," she called his name, causing his ears to perk up; "you realize you could have just _asked,_ right...?"

When he moved to look at her again, all he saw was the back of her black leotard and her cropped, plum tinted hair. There was an undeniable sadness in what she said to him next. "After all, I understand what it's like to feel alone better than most..."

He didn't know what to say to that, or how to even react. He remembered the events with Malchior like they'd only just happened yesterday, and even now, it tore at his heart that she could still feel like that around him. All he really wanted to do then was just reach out and pull her into him, to hold her close until she didn't hurt anymore. He hated that he was too cowardly to comfort her.

"You can stay in here with me as long as you like," she then told him, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Just be sure to keep quiet when I'm meditating," she warned him, going to pick up her blue cloak from the floor where she'd left it.

"I mean it, one peep and you're out," she added for good measure.

He stared at the back of her head, bewildered. He could hardly believe his ears; Raven was granting him permission to actually hang out in her room with her.

Beast Boy.

In Raven's room.

Welcomed.

A few months back, he'd have thought the whole thing ludicrous. Yet, here he was.

"Yeah, yeah, sure! I can totally do quiet! I'll just read a comic or play a game with headphones or something, and you can do your thing! It'll be like I'm not even here!" He beamed, overcome with excitement.

When Raven turned around to face him at last, she graced him with an ever elusive, genuine smile.

"You were pretty good at it as a fly, so I've got high expectations."

He laughed and scratched at the back of his head. "Honestly, I think I was just pretty distracted by the view..."

* * *

 **A/N:** _This one was shorter as the prompt was a more basic one. I nearly made this M rated but decided to keep it T friendly for all the folks already reading and following. Plus, I have something M rated in the works so I'll just save all of that for another time. You know what to do at this point. :)_


	7. be mine

**A/N:** _Thank you to all readers, silent or otherwise. Chapter seven now._

* * *

 **You're the One**

* * *

 **7\. be mine**

By the time she'd mostly gotten the hang of balancing on her skates, the rink was sparse of other couples.

Many hours and sore spots later, she still needed him to help keep her steady.

It was now night out, and the stars twinkled overhead in a clear, crisp, midnight blue sky, like tiny, glittering diamonds. The temperature had dipped drastically since the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, and despite all her layers, Raven was starting to feel the chill of it biting into her bones. Little puffs of steam clouds escaped both of their mouths upon exhalation, and drifted up into the brisk air. The moon, a silver sliver of a crescent illuminating the otherwise dark sky, hung above them all, looking like a distant jewel, just out of reach.

She'd fallen forward and was clutching at the thick sleeves of his sweater jacket with a vice like grip, her knees shaking from both the cold and her horrible balance. She couldn't tell how hard her nails might have dug into him through the material of her thin gloves, mostly due in part to having lost the feeling in her hands long ago. Beast Boy, it seemed, was as chill as a cucumber, the weather doing little to actually perturb him or dissuade him from finding her predicament amusing.

"This isn't funny, Beast Boy," she snapped at him with chattering teeth when she felt his chest rumble with mirth.

"It is a little," he confessed with a shrug and a casual smile.

He liked having her pull up so close to him, even if they were both dressed in multiple, thick layers for an especially frigid winter's night out. He could still feel her body heat emanating beneath his own, and could smell her heady aroma, totally pure and undisturbed by any other scent in such crisp, outdoor conditions. Although he'd never admit it out loud, he rather enjoyed having her rely on _him_ for a change. In this one scenario, he was the expert and she the unwilling pupil.

Raven grumbled audibly beneath him, and he could feel the sound reverberate against him. He couldn't help but laugh some more at her blatant misery.

"Aw, come on, Rae. You had a good time. Besides, you totally stopped falling on your butt about an hour ago, and I saw you skate all by yourself for a whole five seconds!" He hadn't meant for it to come out sounding so condescending, but it did anyways.

"Remind me to never let you take me out on a date _ever again_ ," she seethed in retaliation, still very much clinging to him as her skates slid haphazardly beneath her.

She was having trouble maintaining her balance, and every so often, she'd lose her footing and he'd have to catch her. Then, when she was too busy trying to calm her beating heart, he'd sneak in a rare opportunity to study and admire her without her knowledge. Beast Boy took in every detail of her unconventional beauty, glowing from beneath the faint lighting that encircled the outdoor ice rink. The tip of her nose was a rosy red, as were the tops of her ears, and most of her cheeks. The colour was a stark contrast against the porcelain white of her skin and the dark violet shade of her hair and eyes. She wore winter well, he decided, and all he really wanted to do in that moment was smother her warm, pink mouth with his own.

After all, one quick look around them and it was obviously a running theme amongst the other couples still out enjoying the winter festivity. Beast Boy would find an embarrassing heat colouring his cheeks every time he'd accidentally catch the others nearby intimately making out. He'd force himself to look away, feeling suddenly flustered and self conscious around his empath girlfriend.

"You don't mean that," he replied, holding her steady with his strong hands placed on her small waist. "It's Valentine's day, Rae, and you didn't get me anything. Coming out on a date was the least you could do."

He saw her eyes widen in terror when she nearly lost her footing again and almost went tumbling down to the cold, treacherous ice beneath.

He caught her, of course, and kept her aloof when she thought she'd earned yet another nasty bruise. Once she was certain that the danger had passed, Raven looked up at him and, with a heavy sigh, admitted; "The hot chocolate _was_ a nice touch..."

He grinned toothily at her, his white teeth sparkling against the green of his skin. "You really ought to listen to the playlist I burned you, too. I spent all week picking out the right songs. Cy and Star both thought I had an alien parasite leeching my brain the entire time, and that I was being mind controlled or something," he added, chuckling lightly at the memory.

"Well, you _did_ lock yourself away in your room for nearly a week, and you turned down Cyborg's videogames numerous times. Not to mention, when Starfire came to check in on you, you told her you were too busy 'cleaning'..." Raven reminded him.

"Yeah, and what?" Beast Boy appeared genuinely perplexed by her explanation. "I'll have you know, I _do_ clean occasionally! Besides, are you forgetting the part where I did all that for _you_? Sort of the important thing to notice here, Rae." He raised his brows at her a few times suggestively.

Since Raven's cheeks were rose tinted already, he had a harder time discerning if his flirtatiousness was actually causing her to blush. He did catch her averting her gaze from him, however.

When she had finally worked up the courage to answer him, her voice came out as a soft whisper caught betwixt the two of them, obviously meant for his ears only; "I know that, and I'm...grateful, Garfield."

It was true that he'd at least earned that much from her; he'd slaved away in his room planning the perfect Valentine's date for his girlfriend, along with a gift both appropriate and sentimental.

Beast Boy had always loved celebrating Valentine's Day, even when he'd been a younger kid. He liked giving out cheesy candy grams and cards to all those he knew, and that tradition had continued on even as he'd gotten older. He'd hand deliver the ones for Robin, Starfire, Cyborg and Raven on the day of, and mail out the rest a few days in advance so that they would arrive on time. He signed each and every one of them with a unique message for the individual, and made sure that they came with candy hearts, chocolate, or heart shaped lollipops. It didn't even matter if he got nothing in return.

Except, the more that time went on, the more Beast Boy had started to notice how very much alone he always was every year. Eventually, his beloved Valentine 's Day served as a nagging reminder that, although he had plenty of friends, he'd never have a person to call his own, for who could ever learn to love a green beast?

Of course, he would never let that sort of thinking get in the way of his annual traditions, but some years, his heart just wasn't in it. Most particularly, the year that Terra had died had been the absolute worst. He'd been so excited to know that finally, someone might be around in the cold, short, dreary month of February for him to spoil, share with, and love, only to have it snatched away from him just as quickly. It had left him feeling pathetic, alone, and shattered. Valentine 's Day that year had felt jaded and wrong.

But all that had been _before_ Raven. _She_ may have forgotten about cupid's day, but it wasn't going to stop Beast Boy from taking advantage of the fact that this year, he didn't have to be all alone.

"I thought about getting you a book first, but I didn't really know what you liked to read. Not to mention, I've got no idea what makes a good book, so I was pretty lost in those giant stores, too. Then I thought maybe a gift card to a bookstore might be a better idea. That way, you could get what you like instead, but then that just sounded like a cheap and easy cop out, so that was out, too," he rambled on in explanation.

"I know I didn't spend a lot of money," he sheepishly admitted, "but I like to listen to a lot of music, and lately, I've been finding songs that remind me of you. I wanted you to listen to them, too." Beast Boy felt the tips of his ears go hot and he couldn't meet her eyes.

"I'll listen to it when we get back to the tower, I promise," she told him softly, a little smile gracing her lips. "But first, please explain to me what in the name of _Azerath_ had you thinking that I would know how to ice skate?"

As if on cue, Raven nearly lost her footing for the umpteenth time that night, and let out a high pitched yelp that echoed sharply around them; " _Eep_!"

He held onto her fast before she could take another nasty tumble, and they stood alone in the middle of the rink with Raven burying her mortified face into his chest. Beast Boy was more than happy to stand still if it meant having her nestled in so close to him.

"As a matter of fact, I was kind of betting on the fact that you didn't," he replied, wearing a smug little smile while patting her back affectionately.

She glared up at him, her pale face flushed from her earlier public humiliation.

"I wanted to be the one to teach you something for once," he explained.

Her expression softened at his bluntness, but she remained silent, not really knowing what to say.

He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Turns out I'm a pretty bad teacher, huh?" He chuckled a bit at his own little, self depreciating joke.

Suddenly upset and wishing to challenge his statement, Raven stood up straight on wobbly legs, and slowly loosened her tight grip on his arms, steadily drifting away from his warm body. She wore a look of determination as she balanced herself on the white pair of skates he'd rented for her, all the while he watched her with apprehension and worry in his green gaze.

He kept his arms outstretched towards her, in the event that he had to act quick, but Raven glided on backwards gradually with perfect discipline. As she stood there without his help and watched the shock that registered on his face, she smirked triumphantly.

"You were saying?"

He took to skating around her in slow, deliberate circles, critically admiring her bundled up form while also gearing up to catch her should she fall. Her slight frame appeared to be swimming in her massive outdoor gear, her dainty chin disappearing beneath the sierra coloured, wool scarf wrapped about her neck and shoulders. Her faded black skinny jeans clung to the muscles of her legs as she maintained her posture expertly. The sleeves of her puffy black winter coat hung past her hands as she stuffed them inside to help avoid the numbing cold. Bits of frost and ice shavings clung to her hair and clothes as glimmering white shards; remnants of her previous battle with the rink.

"Very nice," he commented, although at that point, neither of them knew if he was referring to her newfound skills or her appearance.

He then came to a halt before her like the master of skating that he was, beaming proudly at her while trying not to lose himself in her eyes. "But you know, I'm thinking I've spoiled you rotten today. I mean, I even made you non soy hot chocolate, which basically goes against everything I stand for! Don't you think that maybe _I_ should get something in return?"

Raven pouted and folded her arms over her chest. "I thought I already told you that I was sorry about that," she kindly recalled for him.

He started skating backwards then, showing off his abilities while also appearing to be lost in contemplation. Raven followed his every move with her dark violet stare, watching him tentatively.

After what felt like days, he finally chose to address her; "Yeah, I'm aware. Still," he paused for dramatic effect and looked on at her with a familiar, mischievous glint in his eyes, "there is something that could make this day even better."

She lifted a cautious eyebrow.

Beast Boy then closed the distance between them in a single stride, causing her to stumble at his inexplicable nearness. He caught her by the arms and helped to steady her before she even knew she'd been falling. Then, he leaned in slowly, until the tip of his cold nose brushed against hers, and he could feel the soft puffs of air leaving her mouth and melting on his skin. His hand came up to gingerly brush away a few strands of dark purple hair from her luminous, pale face. She could make the moon jealous if she wished it.

"Beast Boy...," she breathed his name in a haze.

He then cupped her chin with gloved fingers, and lifted her parted, anticipating lips to his own. Her eyes fluttered closed and she moaned softly when his warm mouth met hers in a tender kiss.

He held her like that for some time, oblivious to their surroundings and everything else. He held her until the cold, biting air didn't matter anymore, and in their little bubble of space, they would somehow manage to keep warm for the night...

* * *

 **A/N:** _I probably rewrote this a good ten times, each one vastly different from the other. I had the prompt I wanted (which was actually supposed to be based on Beast Boy burning a soundtrack for Raven), and somehow ended up with this. It's not exactly what I had envisioned, and it ended up being a lot more fluffy than the others, but I think I'll be content for now. Besides, I've got enough angst built up for future stories that I can probably get away with this. Thanks for reading. You know what to do. :)_


	8. pistachio

**A/N:** _It's been a while, and I apologize. As some of my followers on tumblr already know, my laptop crashed and I only recently got my new one in and all set up to go. Not to fret! Updates are coming! In the mean time, have some fluff._

* * *

 **You're the One**

 **8\. Pistachio**

* * *

For once in his life, things were going _great_.

He hadn't messed up, and Raven was thoroughly enjoying herself. Or, at least, she wasn't glaring daggers at him and demanding to go home fifteen minutes into their impromptu 'date'.

They had gone to see a live band, one of the few they both enjoyed, hung out at a vegetarian friendly café for some tea and orange juice, and now they had arrived at a famous ice cream parlour. It came highly recommended as one of the tastiest places in all of Jump City, boasting a variety of flavours that no other restaurant could compare. Beast Boy could not wait to try it out, and he was equally antsy to impress Raven. He'd all but dragged her by the hand towards it, his mouth salivating pre-emptively at the thought of the delicious, cold treat.

The female Titan on the other hand, did not seem half as excited.

"It's just ice cream, Beast Boy," she'd drawled in her usual disinterested tone of voice.

" _Just_ ice cream?! JUST ice cream?! Raven, I don't think you understand the caliber of what you're saying; this place has over fifty-two flavors, and is renown for it's rich ingredients and special recipe! It's ice cream _gold_ in your mouth, Rae. Your taste buds are going to implode when you try it!"

Raven lifted a brow in amusement. "To think, of all the things in this world, and ice cream is what sparks your passion," she commented dryly.

The green skinned changeling had never been easily dissuaded before, and he was not going to take no for an answer now. If Raven wasn't going to be excited about it, then he would just have to be through the roof for the both of them. He practically bounded through the restaurant doors, dragging his unconvinced teammate with him, as the bells chimed with their arrival. He spotted a secluded table for two in the corner by the window, and beamed before tugging her towards it.

"You just sit tight right here, and I'll grab us a couple of scoops!" He instructed as Raven took a begrudging seat.

The empath sighed, but did not provide any further argument.

As promised, Beast Boy left his date with the company of her own thoughts, and made his way to the front of the store. The long glass casing displayed all the flavours anyone could wish for, from butternut cream to brownie fudge chocolate. It was all he could do not to create a puddle of drool on the checkered tiled floors of the place; he could hardly decide on which two he wanted to taste the most.

"See anything you like, sir?" The cashier queried kindly, drawing Beast Boy's attention away from the ice cream briefly.

He nodded. "It's a tough decision, but I think I know which ones I'm going to get! I'll have a scoop of the strawberry cheesecake and a scoop of the dark chunky chocolate monkey please!" He grinned excitedly, and the cashier quickly set to work on his order.

Only once she'd set it before him in a mountain of deliciousness did Beast Boy remember he had to order for _two_.

"Would that be all for you today?"

He froze, rooted to the spot.

Beast Boy stared at the endless sea of flavours as they seemingly melded together in his blurring vision. He blanched nervously and gulped as he realized something new and unfortunate.

Beast Boy had no idea what Raven's favourite flavour of ice cream was.

He looked behind him apprehensively, at the lonesome goth girl sitting in the back of the shop, and somehow knew he was doomed for failure.

She quirked an inky black brow at him to communicate her confusion, and he smiled back widely, trying to mask his deteriorating emotional state from her unnaturally keen senses.

"Uh, sir? Was there anything else you wanted to order?" The cashier brought his gaze back to her, and Beast Boy immediately turned away from Raven's scrutinizing, perplexed stare, much to his relief. Being faced with her alluring eyes often made him feel like he was under the heated pressure of a microscope. She always did read him like an open book.

Raven watched him say something incomprehensible to the cashier, and noted the following shocked expression registering on the young girl's face, her freckled cheeks reddening. Then, without waiting for the server to prepare the dessert, he turned and strolled confidently back over to where his gorgeous date awaited him.

"Uh, Beast Boy? Where's the ice cream?" The empath asked him, looking beyond his shoulder to witness the panicked server scrambling about behind the counter.

The changeling seemed far more mellow than he had earlier, grinning toothily at his date while swinging his arm around the empty chair beside him. "Not to worry! I have a special order coming in, just for you," he answered, wiggling his eyebrows at Raven suggestively.

"Beast Boy…," Raven started, eyeing the tray the server was currently filling.

"Yes?" He cooed playfully.

"Did you…Did you order one of _everything_?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I might have," he replied smoothly.

Her eyes went wide as she noted fifty-two cups, each full with a single scoop of ice cream, heading their way from a most disgruntled employee.

Though maintaining a creepy, forced smile in the server's direction, Raven hissed under her breath to Beast Boy; "Why in the name of _Azerath_ would you ever do such a thing?"

Her carefully contained annoyance seemed to boggle the green Titan's mind, and his ears notably drooped. "I, uh, I figured while we were here, we should taste all of them to, uh, to figure out which ones we liked best, and to uhm, recommend them to the rest of the gang!" He sputtered desperately.

She was always good at calling his bluffs, and had their sever not been placing all fifty-two cups on their table just then, she may have vocalized her prediction.

Beast Boy chuckled nervously, and scratched at the back of his head, avoiding Raven's purple leer. Like he always did whenever he knew he was guilty. Raven had been quick to learn that it was one of his more obvious tells.

"Enjoy your ice cream," the adolescent girl squeaked before turning on her heels and ignoring them.

Once she was out of ear shot, Raven glared at her teammate, the terrifying smile long gone and replaced with a lip jutting frown. "You want to explain?" She folded her arms over her chest and waited.

"I told you," Beast Boy piped up, "I couldn't make up my mind, and figured I wanted to taste every flavour! So, uh, which one did you want to start with? Probably your favourite, right? I mean, obviously your favourite of course, which is…," he drifted off, waiting for her to fill in the blanks.

She knew, then.

She could see through him like he was as transparent as glass, and just as fragile.

Annoyance was replaced with wonder as she gleaned the truth behind his actions. "Sweet Azerath, you did this just because you didn't remember what flavour I _liked_?"

Beast Boy silently twiddled his thumbs, seemingly captivated by a stain on the floor beneath his feet.

Raven sighed deeply. "Beast Boy, why didn't you just _ask_ me?"

He shrugged his shoulders, fidgeting uncomfortably in his chair. "I panicked, okay…," he explained simply. "I just didn't want to mess up our date. For once, it was going so well. I thought that maybe this time, she'll have fun. Maybe this time, I won't be such a screw up, and she won't be wishing she was with someone else instead…Heh, so much for that," he spoke in a small, defeated voice, and Raven was unsure if he was speaking to her or himself.

Her expression softened then, and she changed the subject. "I'm going to try the minty looking one first," she told him, her plastic spoon in hand as she eyed the strangely coloured treat in the cup closest to her.

"I think that's pistachio, Rae," he corrected her, temporarily forgetting about his troubles.

"Isn't it matcha green tea?"

He shook his head. "There's pieces of the nuts in it. See?"

Beast Boy used his spoon to dig into the scoop and show her the bits of green pistachio sprinkled within the ice cream. She dug in, and brought the cold, sweet cream to her mouth. He watched her as she tasted it with the tip of her pink tongue. With bated breath, he awaited her final judgement.

"This is…," she started, taking another lick at the spoonful.

Beast Boy leaned in, anticipating. "Yeah?"

"It's…It's the most delightful thing I've ever had. Oh Azar, why haven't I had this flavour before?" Raven chirped, digging into another spoonful of the stuff.

Her eyes were wide in registered shock, and Beast Boy appeared both genuinely overjoyed and surprised by her reaction. He chuckled before warning her; "Easy there, Rae. Eat it too fast and you'll-"

" _Ow_!" Raven cursed, clutching at her head in excruciating pain.

"…Get brain freeze…," Beast Boy finished with a slow shake of his head.

She hissed, her eyes squeezed shut from the emanating waves of discomfort in her temples. Eventually, it dissipated, and through a teary gaze, she regarded a grinning, green changeling seated before her.

"Have some water," he insisted, pushing a glass over to her.

Raven groaned aloud, but sipped at the refreshing liquid anyways. Once she settled the beverage back onto the table and was feeling significantly better, Raven admitted to something she knew her teammate would have trouble believing; "I don't really like ice cream, to be honest. I never have. I tolerate the green tea flavor mostly, but only if I absolutely have to eat it." She played with her spoon in the now empty ice cream cup before her, swirling patterns into the remnants of the green liquid she'd just consumed.

Raven met Beast Boy's stunned expression with anxious eyes. "I do, however, always enjoy the company," she stated simply, unable to hold his gaze.

After a brief moment of comfortable silence while this new information sunk in, Beast Boy managed to find his voice again, albeit it was a lot quieter than normal. "So, pistachio."

"Hm?"

Beast Boy's face split into a wide grin. "Your favourite flavour, it's got to be pistachio. And you said you didn't like anything the colour green," he teased her.

"…I'm dating you, aren't I?" She quipped.

Beast Boy flushed visibly, but kept wearing his coy smile.

"Now, I do believe we still have fifty-one flavours left to try. Care to turn into some kind of animal with more than one stomach?"

* * *

 **A/N:** _Just one of those slow realization moments for Raven here, and Beast Boy learning more about his new girlfriend. I kept it minimal on purpose. You know what to do at this point._


	9. bedside manner

**A/N:** _Chapter nine for an update. Not entirely fluffy. You've been adequately warned._

* * *

 **You're the One**

 **9\. bedside manner**

* * *

There came a dark time when they'd inexplicably lost her.

Not in the same way like when it was her father that had been involved. No, this was a different kind of loss.

The way Beast Boy justified it was that, at least with an impending apocalypse, there would be nothing left; nobody at all would survive. Whereas, when Raven was about to fade away from their world for good, time would continue to move forward, only without her. In his mind, this was a far worse fate to be subjected to than that of the one of Trigon.

He couldn't bare the thought of losing anymore teammates, not ever again, not after everything with Terra. That had done enough irreparable, emotional damage to his heart, and he didn't think he could survive yet another critical blow.

The remaining Titans had thought that they'd shown up just in the nick of time, and that it could have very well made the difference between life and death for the empath. They'd fended off Slade and his bots long enough to pick up her limp body and make a hasty retreat to the tower for a recoup. In that moment, they hadn't realized just how dire the situation had been; Raven wasn't even levitating.

Cyborg didn't waste a second; he had her in the medbay in moments, with Starfire, Robin, and Beast Boy fast on his heels. They moved about knowingly, each perfectly understanding the instrumental part they needed to play to secure their decommissioned teammate. In moments, she was hooked up to monitors and machines, even an IV drip and oxygen, while Cyborg monitored her status with intense concentration. Once all that could be done was in fact done, the Teen Titans could do nothing more but watch and wait with bated breath. Only, Raven's condition did not improve, no matter their interventions and skills.

Beast Boy swallowed back the panic, like the acidic bile in his throat, when he'd noted that even her own healing factor hadn't managed to kick in yet. He tried not to look directly at her wounds, and her face was a blurred image in his mind, as if his own consciousness was trying to protect him from the gut wrenching truth.

Minutes turned to hours, and eventually, the team had started to nod off, Starfire softly dozing, nestled up against Robin's shoulder as he stroked her hair tenderly. Cyborg's batteries were dying, and his blue lights had been flashing red for the past couple of minutes in warning. Only Beast Boy stayed vigil.

Titans East had been dispatched to deal with Slade and his friends in the mean time, and it had seemed that Bumblebee's team had made significant progress when Robin had checked his comms at some point in the night. Beast Boy couldn't bring himself to pay attention to them, not when his mind was so preoccupied with other, more urgent concerns. Yet their leader had taken that as his queue to turn in for the night, so long as Raven's condition seemed to be unchanging. He carefully carried a sleeping Starfire out of the medbay, while Cyborg tinkered with his control panel to see if he could run off some more juice by powering down other parts of his system.

"Go recharge, I got this," Beast Boy commanded him, his voice betraying no emotion.

His friend gave him a concerning stare. "This is serious stuff, Beast Boy. Anything changes, anything at all, you have to know what to do," he told him sternly.

"I know that. If anything happens, I'll set off the alarms. The state of emergency should wake you up instantly. Now go," Beast Boy tried again, his tired eyes never leaving the sight of Raven's still form, unconscious and unresponsive to all around her.

The inflection in the changeling's voice seemed to convince Cyborg that his typically silly, pragmatic teammate was taking this matter extremely seriously, and that there would be very little room for argument. There was no hint of humour, no light-hearted smile, not even a crack at a bad joke this time.

Cyborg nodded once, albeit hesitantly, before taking his leave for the night. He gave his friend's tense, hunched over back one last lingering look of pitying worry before disappearing just beyond the doorway.

Raven didn't move. She didn't blink, she didn't so much as flinch. The machines beeped and hummed, the only sign that she was still being kept alive. Beast Boy pretended not to see the blood, to see the bandages and the wounds, the used gloves and the gauze sitting stained in the yellow biohazard bag, the stains on his own hands and clothes. He zoned it all out, like an unpleasant sense he refused to acknowledge. Instead, he stayed at her side, waiting for her to wake up, staring at the pallor of her cold fingers and itching to hold her hand. Mostly, he spent the hours talking to her, hoping he could simply annoy her into consciousness, but even he eventually grew bored with a one-sided conversation.

He thought about bringing in a comic book, or a portable gaming station, but both seemed like selfish, bad ideas that would only detract from his duty. Also, he was terrified of leaving her side, even for such a short period of time. He didn't want to miss a beat, _couldn't_ miss a beat. Her life could depend on it, and if ever there was a moment where he knew he shouldn't let her down, this was the one.

So, he sat in his chair, and allowed his eyes to roam about the room, looking everywhere but at her, and trying to preoccupy his mind with less desolate thoughts. That was when he spotted it across the way, like an item that did not belong. It stuck out like a sore thumb.

On the table, by the chair that faced all the fancy, flat screen monitors, Raven had left behind one of her books.

Just before they had received the emergency call regarding Slade's attack on the City, Cyborg had been performing routine check ups on the Titans, and Raven just happened to be next in the pecking order. While waiting, she'd brought in a book to read to help kill the time as Cyborg prepped his tech anew. The memory felt like a decade ago, and the offensive item almost tricked Beast Boy into thinking that nothing had changed at all; that Raven would glide in, say something in regards to his sleep deprived state, grab her book, and disappear into her bedroom for the night.

Except, of course, that she wouldn't.

So, instead, Beast Boy moved towards it, drawn like a magnet to one of the very last things Raven had touched. He picked up the novel, inspecting it all over as if to find traces of her on it somehow. The cover was soft, a little beat up from use, and was quite hefty with its pages. The title read THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, written by some dude named Alexandre Dumas. Beast Boy skimmed through the musty, old pages before giving up and reading the back for a brief summary. That was when Raven's bookmark slipped out from within the pages, landing on the cold, tiled floor before his feet.

" _Shit_!" He cursed aloud, realizing too late the magnitude of what he'd done. He'd just lost her spot in the massive book; a crime if there ever was one in Raven's mind.

She was going to have his head for it when she noticed. He picked up the thin, laminated piece of cardboard from the floor, and glanced over at the stretcher where Raven currently lay, immobile.

The machines beeped steadily to life in his ears, drawing him into an uncomfortable reality again. If he listened carefully, he could hear them pumping the air into her lungs, breathing for her, keeping her in this world, _his_ world.

His hands went numb, his tongue feeling like sandpaper in his mouth. His eyes stung and his face felt flushed. He glanced back down at the book one more time before he reached a conclusion that he could actually stand.

"I know you're probably going to be angry with me, but I figured out a solution, so just hear me out," he explained, as he took his seat next to her.

He moved his chair in closer, so that he was right beside the bed rails, and then flipped open the book to the very first page.

"I can just start from the beginning, read it out loud for the both of us. That way, when you wake up, maybe I'll have caught up to where you left off," he told her with a half smile.

Nothing; no sound but for the whirring of Cyborg's enhanced medical equipment.

Beast Boy cleared his throat before he choked on his unshed tears, and looked back down at the page before him. The font was small, and there were a lot of words, some of which he'd never recognize or use in his lifetime. It was a daunting task, but the summary hadn't sounded too bad, and he really just wanted to give it a shot.

For Raven, if nothing else. He owed it to her.

That was how he'd winded up reading to her almost all night long, for the next couple of nights.

He read to her on the latest shift no other Titan really wanted, until his eyes would droop and he'd pass out in the chair, or against her pillow. He read until the words blurred and he couldn't think straight anymore. He read so that all he did was dream of being the poor man that had been betrayed and tormented in the story, finding his dignity only by seeking revenge on those who'd crossed him. He read while he snacked, he read as he found new, creative ways to get comfortable in the tiny chair, or until his butt got sore. Eventually, they'd find him sprawled out like that in the morning, and he'd wake up mumbling her name, thinking it had only been a part of a cruel nightmare and nothing more. Except, he'd see the strands of violet hair splayed out against the ivory white of her pillow, listen to the familiar noise of that dreadful machine, and know, with a heart sinking feeling, that _this_ was his new reality.

Sometimes, he'd give her colorful commentary of his thoughts on a specific scene or emotional moment in the story and, to his astonishment, he would learn that he was actually _enjoying_ the book. He'd laugh excitedly and say, "Maybe you were onto something all along, Rae. Reading isn't all that bad after all, but don't tell anyone I said that. I have an image to maintain, you know?"

However, precisely like everything else in life, eventually, even the book came to an end, and Raven's status, much to the Titans' dismay, had not changed.

As he had begrudgingly turned the final page, all Beast Boy wanted to do was allow himself to break down, to fall apart, much like the others had all those nights ago. He'd all but earned it, and it was hard to fight off the sting of tears when the scripted letters melded together on the very last page.

Instead, ever resilient, he found the tiniest glimmer of hope and hung on for dear life, because without it, the world would go darker, and there would be one less reason for waking up in the mornings.

Beast Boy would continue his reading sessions with Raven, for as long as there were books in existence, he wouldn't give up.

He refused to give up on her, because he knew in his heart of hearts that _she'd_ never give up on any of them.

He would read until his voice was hoarse and his lips were dry.

That way, when she finally did wake up from her very long slumber, he could fill her in on everything she'd missed, and they would have something to talk about.

Whenever she _did_ wake up…

* * *

 **A/N:** _I'm so sorry._


	10. hornets nest

**A/N:** _I've upset a few readers with that last one, so hopefully, this sweet thing makes up a bit for the angst._

* * *

 **You're the One**

 **10\. Hornets Nest**

* * *

They heard her scream from far away.

It was uncharacteristic for the half demon to ever let out a shriek so high pitched, and truth be told, they might not even have guessed that it had come from _her_ at all. All they knew was that someone was in danger, and where there was trouble, the Titans appeared.

However, Beast Boy was the only one who immediately knew that the noise had come from Raven. His sharp instincts kicked in naturally, his ears pricking towards the sound as all the muscles in his body tensed in response. Where Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire acted, Beast Boy _reacted_. It was an innate response, not too different from a creature who recognized its mate's call.

He shifted into a cheetah and raced down the path, catching up to Starfire's flight and leaving the others trailing behind.

He had to get to her, above all else.

In that defining moment, nothing else mattered.

He didn't even need to hear his leader's infamous words to spur him into action. If anything, to his senses, they felt delayed and awkward.

Beast Boy ran. He ran as fast as his four legs allowed him to, feeling the way the muscles of his animal counterpart worked beneath his own skin. He was a blur in the field of green while he followed the faint echoes of her scream and the few streaks of her scent that coloured the air. He was getting closer.

They found her on the ground, clutching at a spot on the pale, naked thigh of her left leg. For all intents and purposes, the empath appeared to be in incredible discomfort, but with no visible threat in the immediate area. All the Titans came to a very sudden, questioning halt; Beast Boy reverting back into his human form and wearing a perplexed, but somewhat relieved expression.

"Uh, Raven…you okay?" He asked her tentatively while taking a few steps closer.

She was grimacing, but as he approached, she moved her pale fingers over the area she was covering and he was greeted with the sight of an angry, red welt on her otherwise fair skin.

"I'm fine," she protested through gritted teeth. "Just a sting."

He knelt forward to further examine the affected area, reaching out with a gloved hand to stroke his fingers against the supple skin of her leg. Raven noticeably coloured at the intimate contact, but did not brush him away.

"That's not a normal sting, Rae," he told her in all seriousness, oblivious to his other nosy teammates crowding around them now.

There was no stinger visible inside of her skin, but the venom left behind was causing the area to swell up and redden. "That's from a hornet," he added expertly after he'd run a gentle thumb over the tender, warm spot.

Raven had winced in reaction but said nothing.

"We'll get you some ice back at the tower, Rae. It should heal up pretty quickly, especially for you," Cyborg told her with a sympathetic smile, his cybernetic eye scanning the wound.

Starfire then draped her injured friend's arm over her shoulders and lifted her off the ground with ease.

"If there's a hornet nest nearby, the park officials should be notified about it," Robin added, securing his communicator and walking away to make a call.

Beast Boy growled, "I'll find it."

Before anyone could utter a word of protest, he'd shifted into an Asian giant hornet and buzzed away into the distance.

Starfire smiled sweetly after the green bug disappearing beyond the trees of the park. "Friend Beast Boy would be considered a most agreeable suitor in Tameran," she conveyed to a flustered Raven.

The empath hid beneath the shadow of her hood, mumbling something inaudible under her breath.

Later that day, the Titans would discover that Beast Boy not only had located the hornet nest deep in the woods that surrounded the park, but had taken it upon himself to find, and sting, the single insect that had caused such embarrassing discomfort to his girlfriend, too.

It was, as he put it, the perfect revenge.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Short and sweet. Also, head canon that Starfire is a BBRae shipper._


	11. majestic

**A/N:** _I updated GB, so it's only fair I wrote another quick, fluffy one-shot. Next will be Hellfire._

* * *

 **You're the One**

 **11\. Majestic**

* * *

It was somewhat of a depressing feat to realize that Beast Boy could count the amount of successful dates he'd had on his one hand.

Nonetheless, if he had to rank them, then _this_ one was easily the cream of the crop. It topped the top of the list by the largest margin imaginable.

Had he known it would have gone so smoothly, he'd have thought to bring Raven out to the aquarium a lot sooner.

"It was clever of you to get us tickets for a late night admission, Gar," she'd complimented him, giving him a demure smile and shy glance to match.

He'd chuckled awkwardly, going along with the notion that he'd indeed scheduled their date so late on purpose. Of course, in true Beast Boy fashion, he'd simply forgotten to buy them until the day of, and these had been the last ones available for purchase.

He shuffled his feet and waved his hand dismissively, "I figured you hated crowds and all, so this way we got the whole place more or less to ourselves!"

Raven chewed on her bottom lip before making a bold move and grabbing his hand with her own. Her fingers clasped around his and she dragged him along with her, all the while avoiding his stunned expression. Garfield gulped and did his best not to pay attention to the warmth of her touch.

"Let's go," she urged, walking towards the massive doors of the infamous aquarium.

Like he'd expected, there was barely anyone in the dimly lit building at such a time on a regular, autumn weekday. Kids were fast asleep, adults had work the next morning, and then there were the Teen Titans, who were always on-call no matter what time or day it was. Nights like these were perfect for them, the quiet ones where there was no hustle and bustle of city life, and crime had decided to take a short hiatus. There were no people, no evil villains to stop, no teammates to aid.

Just Raven and Garfield.

In their civvies.

On a date.

Beast Boy was mesmerized by the way the dim lights filtered through the glass and the water before casting a reflection on her.

He found himself staring at her profile, all the while she stared at the aquatic creatures swimming in the tanks instead. Raven had never been what one would have called conventionally beautiful, but the more Beast Boy studied her, the more his heart fluttered in his chest. The glow in her violet irises gave them an unearthly appeal, like glittering purple gems beneath the clearest of water. Her hair appeared a darker shade of plum in the shadowy blue ambiance of the aquarium. The red gem in the centre of her forehead gleamed when the light bounced off the glass before her. Her lips were parted in awe as she studied the fascinating animals, and Garfield remained fascinated by her.

Overtop of them, a hefty Manta Ray rested on the transparent, tubular structure that made up the roof of the hall and joined the tank that were the walls. Raven stared up at it, marveled by it's impressive size. She spun about in the corridor, trying to catch different angles of the strange water critter in it's languid position. Little colourful fish swam past it, while a couple of sharks could be seen swimming overhead and into the conjoining tank, their sharp, jagged teeth laid bare for all to see.

"Do you have a favourite?" She'd asked him suddenly, snapping him back to reality.

Beast Boy's cheeks coloured when he noticed her eyes on him after he'd been shamelessly ogling her the entire time. He wanted to think that maybe she just hadn't noticed.

"Like, to shapeshift into?" He averted his gaze to the Manta Ray who still had not moved.

She shook her head, wisps of her straight, pixie cut hair moving with her. "Just in general. Is there a particular aquatic animal you like best?"

The question had taken him by surprise.

It hit him like a bag of bricks when he realized that he'd truthfully never put any thought into it. He was Beast Boy. He liked _all_ animals, he could be any one of them if he wished it.

But a favourite?

"Huh," he started, his expression betraying his inner conflict, "I really don't know…"

Raven looked unappeased by his lack of an answer, but didn't press him on it.

"Do _you_?" He retaliated unexpectedly.

There was a devious glint in his jade green eyes, and his predatory grin was not doing anything to alleviate the impression he was leaving on her.

Raven jutted out her bottom lip in protest. "I…I can't say that I do," she stammered, looking away.

Beast Boy's smile grew wider. "Yes, you do," he insisted in a sing-song voice.

Her gaze shifted back to him in alarm. "What are you talking about, Beast Boy?"

In response, the green skinned changeling bit his bottom lip, waggled his brows at her, and then dashed off down the long, twisting hallway before she could think to stop him.

"W-wait! Where are you going?!" Raven called out after him, helplessly giving chase when he showed no signs of slowing down.

By the time he'd stopped, the room they'd entered was far darker than the others, the new tanks around them lit only by dim but colourful lights that painted the dark waters in indigo and violet hues. The scene felt otherworldly, like the guest was traversing the very endless depths of the oceans, or maybe even floating through the ominous expanse of space where no stars could be seen for miles. Raven paused as her eyes were drawn to the ethereal glow of the majestic beasts, because how could anyone miss them?

They were the only bright stroke of colour against the dark backdrop that was their home. Magnificent creatures, in varying sizes, bobbed along gently and slowly, their strange, luminescent bodies catching the strobes of light and casting them in shockingly bright pinks, blues, and lavenders. Their long tendrils followed them as they swam, like a curtain of silken lace dangling from their gelatinous bells.

Raven's breath seemingly hitched in her throat at the beauty before her. The room was nothing but tanks and tanks of _just_ jellyfish.

Beast Boy stood by a pillar, giving her a smug look as she came to join him, her eyes flitting between every single one as they danced along behind the glass.

"The last mission we had with Aqualad, I remembered you getting sidetracked briefly by the sight of a jellyfish. The look on your face said it all; they're awfully cute little guys, aren't they?" He beamed proudly as he watched the same mystified look cross her features.

Her fingers came up to press delicately against the glass right as a smaller jellyfish floated on by.

"You…You knew?" She breathed, unable to mask her surprise at his perceptiveness.

Garfield put his hands in his pant pockets, growing more bashful the more he realized what the small act had meant to the empath. "Sort of a boyfriend's job to take note of these things…right?"

Staring at Beast Boy while she discovered something new about their relationship, Raven whispered, "I guess you've always been the one to notice things about me…It was you who knew about Malchior, you who dug into my past and discovered my birthday, you who…figured out I liked jellyfish…," she trailed off, reaching further into her mind for all the memories where Garfield Logan had been at the prime root of it.

"It was always you, Gar," she finalized, to both herself and him, violet orbs locking with emerald green.

Her birthday parties, the trip to the aquarium, his attentiveness to her most subtle of moods. Beast Boy was always the one who noticed things about her, and often noticed them _first_. How had she ever missed that? How had it taken her so long to realize it?

The changeling, not truly gleaning the seriousness of the matter, shrugged it off. "You are always the hardest person to read on the team. So, I guess I've always paid the most attention to you…"

Feeling as though it hadn't been enough, he then added, "It's probably how I started developing a crush on you, to be honest. That look on your face when that little dude swam on by, I couldn't help but think how much I wanted to make you look like that all the time. It's stupid and cheesy, I know. I'll shut up now." He delicately fingered the glass where a tiny, baby jellyfish bobbed along next to him.

His words were light and breezy, but the impact they had on her were astronomical. She stood there, floundering for words when none would come, drowning in the moment. There was a threatening bubble of emotion culminating within her, one she was having a hard time keeping under control.

Azerath have mercy, she wanted to reach out and kiss him more than anything in that moment.

Instead, just as she slowly extended her arms to cup his warm face between her hands, Beast Boy had shifted.

Raven, coming across air, quickly glanced down to the green blob laying on the floor by her feet. She nearly squealed as he reached a weak, green tentacle towards her.

The changeling, having deduced his girlfriend's affection for the soft bodied, umbrella shaped jellies, had manifested _into_ one.

"Beast Boy!" Raven hissed his name in annoyance. "There's no water, you can't just _turn_ into a jellyfish out of water!"

The boy morphed back, thankfully having worn his uniform underneath his normal clothes, just in preparation for such an event.

He smiled humbly and, feeling a bit chastised, said, "I ruined the moment again, didn't I?"

Raven replied with an exasperated sigh, placing her fingers on her temple. "Let's just go before someone questions us about the mess you left behind."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Short and sweet, as promised. BB just wants Rae to like him, after all. Silly kid doesn't realize she already does._


End file.
